When Tables Turn & Two-Lady Best Ball Underway!

Today was the first of four nine-hole days of play for the two-lady best ball tournament at my club. I had never played with my partner, Carmen, before but we hit it right off and had fun. She posts a much higher handicap than I and we ended up using my ‘ball’ on every hole but, hey, I was happy to be playing well.

My final individual score, as well as our team score, for the day’s play was 43 – not too bad. The good news is her higher handicap will help us in net scoring at the end of this thing.

Feels Better On The Other Side Of The Table

The best part of the day, though, was that the other team-of-two in our foursome included a lady I played golf with a lot last year when I was struggling so bad and was a total head case out on the golf course. She used to say “don’t be so hard on yourself” to me all the time – as she was making pars and bogeys and regularly shooting in the low 40s. She used to tease me about being too intense, taking it all too seriously, and so on.

Well, the tables sure turned today! Jean, the lady I am talking about, had a rough go of it. She hit it in the lake not once but twice on the seventh hole. On the eighth hole she claimed to 4-putt for triple bogey but I swear I saw five putts. I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t completely sure and I was shooting several strokes lower so why ruffle any feathers out there?

But at the end of the round she was sulking, not smiling, and telling people what a bad mood she was in. Did I dare say, “don’t take it so seriously?”

No, of course I did not.

Jean and I actually went out early in the spring of this year, back when I could barely tee off with my new swing and I was just a mess. She saw me play about as poorly as I’ve ever played and since I hadn’t played with her since that day, I’m sure the way I now hit the ball was a surprise.

Our pro, Pete Black, the man who truly tortured me (in a good way) when I took the four 90-minute lessons from him, was sitting in for the regular starter so after the round I went up to him and said I wanted a tee time later so I could play the back nine. Then I quietly said, “I’m kickin’ butt out there! Hit three greens and shot 43.” He smiled and said, “keep it up.”

And of course I know too well that golf has a way of bringing things ’round. Next time I play with Jean, I could very well be the one taking the dip and four-putting.

Still Working On Putting

The one caveat is that in the past 45 holes I’ve played, I’ve averaged 2.1 putts per hole. TOO MANY PUTTS. I also have to say that our greens and hole locations are just ridiculous sometimes, and they rank right up there with any course in town in difficulty. Not even one of them is pancake.

The success I’ve been experiencing in most areas of my game just makes me want to practice more – especially the pesky putting. By the end of this season, hopefully I’ll feel ready to join a more serious 18-hole club next year.

~Jillian

PS. Given that I mention a lot of people by name, I should let readers know that while the events and people are real, none of the names I use are – including my own 🙂

Favorite Golf Quotes

"Ask yourself how many shots you would have saved if you always developed a strategy before you hit, always played within your capabilities, never lost your temper, and never got down on yourself."
Jack Nicklaus